Friends,

Fall is here, and the leaves are changing!  It was a great day in worship today.  We certainly rejoiced as we baptized one of our young people.  I am excited about what God is doing in Tyler’s life.

As you listen to the sermon, I want you to think about the grace that God has offered you in Jesus Christ.  More than once I have heard someone say that they didn’t believe God could forgive them, that their sins were too many and too bad for God to forgive.  Scripture is very clear that the grace of God is open to everyone, including you!

In addition, we need to be careful how we judge others and their ability to gain this grace.  As much as we are unworthy of God’s gift, so is everyone else, and yet the same potential for salvation lies with everyone.  We as Christians need to be cautious that we don’t put man-made obstacles in front of those seeking a deeper relationship with God.

Thanks for checking in, and I pray this message blesses you!

Download the message here:  No Camels Allowed – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Acts 10:9-23
• Hebrews 9:22-23, 10:2, 10
• Acts 10:43
• Titus 3:3-8, 1 John 1:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13
• John 1:29, 3:16, 8:12, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19, 1 John 2:2
• Romans 14:13, Titus 3:9-11
• Acts 2:1, 46, 9:31

Friends,

Below you will find Chris Brown’s message from today, October 11, 2009.  What a blessing to have Chris share with us from a familiar and powerful verse.  I pray that as you listen you will be reminded that in Christ we are offered:

A Wonderful Love, a Wonderful Gift, a Wonderful Faith, and a Wonderful Life.  May God bless you as you listen.

Download Chris’ message here:  You Can Have God’s Best – Chris Brown

Friends,

What another glorious day to be in God’s house today!  We were blessed to have 3 of our young people baptized during the service.  Taking a cue from the meaning of baptism, I challenged us to rethink how we approach our marriages.

Just as in baptism we are to die to self and live for Christ, in marriage we should die to self in order to live for the “one flesh” that we become when we are married.  In addition, where Christ says that “what God has joined together, let no one separate”, I believe this is not simply a reference to divorce, but that anytime we reject or neglect our spouse we are acting in a way that separates us from that which God has joined together.  I pray this message will bless you and your relationships.

Listen to the message here:  Wearing Your Neighbor’s Ring – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Mark 10:2-9
• Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:1-4
• Ephesians 5:28
• Leviticus 19:18
• Genesis 2:24
• Jeremiah 1:16
• Deuteronomy 10:20, Joshua 23:8
• Galatians 5:14-15

Friends,

We started last week looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan and the important question – who is my neighbor?  I wanted today to challenge us to look at the neighbors we live with.  What I mean is – before we can love our neighbor next door and around town, we need to do the best we can to love our immediate family under one roof.  How we treat our spouses, children, etc. is more important than how we treat others if we look at the direct language of 1 Timothy 5:8.

This morning I challenged the congregation…and I want to challenge you…each day this week (Sunday thru Saturday) I want you to take a moment and hug each member of your household and then tell them that you love them.  That’s right, every person and every day, hug them and tell them you love them.  Blessings…Pastor Bryon.

Listen to the sermon here:  Living With Your Neighbors – Rev. Bryon LePere

***The sermon begins at the 15 minute mark of the file.***

Scriptures Referenced:

• 1 Timothy 5:3-8
• Matthew 15:3-6
• Psalm 15:3, Romans 13:10
• Hebrews 13:4, Ephesians 5:22-33, Mark 10:9
• Proverbs 13:1, 15:5, 19:26, 20:11, 22:6, 31:15, Ephesians 6:1-4
• 1 Timothy 6:17

Friends,

Today is Grandparents Day, and as I considered this I looked at Jesus’ family tree.  As I looked at the story that is written within Christ’s lineage, I noticed that it was not a story of perfection, but a story of faith and perseverance.

We need our grandparents/seniors today as much as ever.  We need them to teach us about prayer, about tithing, about marriage, and about faithfulness in general.

I hope this message blesses you, and I hope you’ll take time to call your grandparents (or another significant senior in your life) and tell them how much you love and appreciate them!

You can listen to the message here:  Generation to Generation – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures referenced:

• Matthew 1:1-17
• 2 Timothy 1:5
• 1 Kings 16:30
• 2 Timothy 4:6-8
• Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Friends,

Forgiveness is such a precious word in our world today.  All of us will need to receive it and offer it at some point in our lives.  And it is essential to our spiritual growth.  The more I read in scripture and experience in life the more I see the need for grace and forgiveness to permeate our lives.

As I considered forgiveness in my own life and read the story of the Last Supper with Jesus and His disciples I was led to think about how personal this time was for them.  It is so easy in our world today to point fingers and look for the sin/wrong in others around us.  One of the true challenges and tests of our faith is to look inward and examine our own lives in relationship to God rather than focus on others.  What a world it could be if we only looked for the good in others!

As you listen, I hope Jesus and His grace and His forgiveness will become more personal for you.

You can listen to the sermon here:  Forgiveness – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Matthew 26:26-29
• Isaiah 53:5
• Hebrews 9:22
• Joel 2:32
• 1 John1:9
• Matthew 7:1
• John 8:7
• Psalm 51:3
• Luke 18:13

Friends,

What a beautiful day in the Father’s House today!  God has blessed us tremendously with our new deacons for the upcoming year.  Pray for Jerry, Joses, and Lynn as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

In this one verse, 1 Samuel 17:15, we read that David is tending his father’s sheep, while still going back and forth to Saul and knowing that he has been anointed to be king.  My focus from this chapter was on the interesting thing that in between his anointing and kingship, David was humble and still dedicated to the work he was supposed to do.  Similarly, Jesus Christ kept about His work for His Father in between His anointing and His ascension into Heaven.

Being anointed and called is not something meant to just give us status, but instead in the church it should be something that leads us to be humbled and seek to serve where God puts us.  Both David and Jesus sought not to be served, but to serve others.  We all, like our deacons, should seek to do likewise.

You can listen to or download the sermon here:  Tending the Father’s Sheep – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• 1 Samuel 17:15
• 1 Samuel 16:13
• 2 Samuel
• Luke 4:21
• Mark 1:9-11
• John 4:24
• Matthew 5:17
• 1 Timothy 3:8

Friends,

Summer has certainly got the best of my schedule, so I apologize for the lack of posts.  But, I’m back, and let’s go from here!

Sunday was another great day to be in the house of God.  As the summer winded down, we were able to celebrate some of the great things God has done in our children’s ministry.

This summer we studied the passage about the full armor of God found in Ephesians.  My hope was not only that they would learn the scripture, but that it would find daily application for their lives as well.  One of the challenges for Christians today, in my opinion, is for us to live out the faith and doctrine that we profess.

The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and the others mean nothing if we do not let the light of Christ shine thru how we live these things out.  I hope that as you listen to this message, you will be challenged to consider your faith and witness.

You can listen to my message here:  The Armor of God – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Ephesians 6:10-17
• John 14:6
• 1 John 3:7
• Romans 1:16
• Hebrews 11:1
• 2 Corinthians 7:10
• Matthew 7:1
• 1 Samuel 19:4

Friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  As the rains moved out yesterday we have been blessed with some incredible weather for the week.  I hope you have an opportunity to be out and enjoy it.

Yesterday we continued our walk through Malachi.  This passage, 2:1-9, is a challenge to the priests (and I believe to all of us) to consider where out heart is when it comes to worship and our offerings towards God.  In addition, it is a challenge to watch how we handle the Word of God and specifically the teachings that are contained within.

Finally, I believe the strongest challenge within this passage for all of us is to watch how we administer and live out the commandments of God.  Just as God shows no partiality in His love/judgment towards us, we should not show any partiality in how we express love and Christ-like accountability towards our neighbors.  Too often, I believe we over emphasize the sins of some without recognizing that all sin is sin and all of it is displeasing to God.

Let us never forget that the love and grace offered to us by God through Jesus Christ is available in full to everyone, and that God gives full and equal opportunity to all to take possession of that incredible gift.  And, in the light of that, let us live that out by living out grace to all of our neighbors.

Download and listen to the sermon here:  Stumbling Blocks – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Malachi 2:1-9
• Romans 10:14-15
• 2 Corinthians 5:20
• Luke 17:1-4
• Galatians 6:1ff
• James 5:19-20
• Galatians 3:26-29
• Matthew 20:1-16

Friends,

Another great day to be in the House of the Lord!  Mother’s Day is always a special time of worship and a reminder to me of just how blessed we are in our congregation.

As we continue our walk through Malachi, we come to the 2nd sermon in the series.  This passage really challenged me to think not only about what I am bringing as an offering to God, but the quality of what I am bringing.  Originally written to the priests in the Israelite community, I believe this passage speaks to us all.

Malachi 1:14 in particular really hit me hard.  How often in our relationships (marriage, parenthood, etc.) do we make a commitment, only to fall short too quickly?  What about in our school work, job, community organizations?  Too often, I believe, we commit our best, and we truly desire to give our all; but in the end, sometimes all we can offer is our leftovers.  Our leftover time, leftover energy, leftover resources, leftover money.

There are some powerful questions raised by this passage:  What kind of offering are you bringing to God?  Is it your best?  Or is He only getting your leftovers?  What are you doing to make God’s name great among the community?

Anyway, take a listen…your thoughts?

You can download the sermon here:  Leftovers, Part 1 – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

• Malachi 1:6-14
• Leviticus 22:17-22, Deuteronomy 15:21
• Numbers 30:2
• Matthew 5:33-37
• 1 Peter 1:19